In the video above, I present TTAG’s vision-challenged shooters with a solution to the problem of not being able to see both your sights (close-in) and the target (far away) in focus at the same time. The video also addresses the challenge of red-green color blindness, which affects depth perception, and can be cured with an X-chrome contact lens. Oh, and I forgot to mention that “proper” shooting glasses should have side coverage. Anyway, not only is this solution confusing, it’s extremely expensive. Just so you know.
Bought lasik a year ago since I was finally old enough. Happily that means I get to completely ignore one and only one TTAG article 🙂
That was pretty confusing.
I encountered the same issue. After a quick visit to my ophthalmologist he sent me to WallyWorld to order a set of generic glasses with lined bifocal lenses in a Yellow #3 tint. Best $60 I ever spent.
It’s true, us Jews can’t see anything. Good info for when I get older.
I have progressive bifocals, sit behind a monitor 8+ hrs a day, and did the same thing about 4 years ago. Best move I have ever made to help out my shooting. It takes a little getting used to it walking around, but the eyes adapt quickly.
My eyes are so bad that even after lasik I would still need glasses 🙁
To make it more complicated, I shoot rifles left handed as I am left eye dominate (right eye is several times worse off then the left) and I shoot pistols right handed as I am right handed but I use my left eye.
I’m waiting to either get brand new eyes or bionic ones.
Robert on the top choice what about eye dominance?
I thought of this as I was watching, too. Does the right lens being close focus mean you’re right eye dominant?
I am nearsighted and because of my age I also need progressive glasses. It’s a nightmarish front sight picture. That is, until ESS solved it for me. I ordered the ESS safety glasses with the eyeglasses insert. The glasses are good for correcting nearsightedness and they placed a circle correction on my right eye lens that places the front sight of both pistols and rifles in perfect focus. Here’s a pic, hope you can see it:
http://www.josesuroeditorial.com/photos/i-Djr2b3D/0/O/i-Djr2b3D.jpg
That’s pretty cool. Excellent photo, too — love the crisp composition.
interesting but if you have one good eye and one bad eye no amount would help
I thought this was going to say, “solution for near sighted shooters: move closer.”
The target should be blurry if you are properly focused on the front sight
With new digital lens technology there are lots of options. A good optician is indispensable in choosing the correct progressive lens design based on need (not retail margin).
thats why the gods invented scopes…….
THANK YOU ROBERT! I’ve had the same problem- losing focus on front sight, with the complication of having a progressive lens in a cataract replacement, that doesnt really work- so I have had to screw around with wearing dimestore readers outside or somehow jammed inside shooting glasses (weird) and stowing them in a pocket while hunting, taking out to look at the map or GPS…Argh this getting old thing really sucks.
I’ve been noodling around trying to figure out the same thing, talking to a couple of optometrists and getting the sales pitch on buying their $500 glasses, while not getting an answer, and about ready to go to Costco to just buy SOMETHING.
You and a couple others have given me a good start. Thanks again, another example of how TTAG covers a lot of useful territory for newbs thanks to the contribution of the Intelligentsia of Gunfolk.
Oh, you’re SOOOOO sexy. I want you SOOOO bad….
(although I’m just a few years behind you as I find myself taking off my glasses when doing work on small gun parts).
Good luck making your flow chart easier to understand than the CA DOJ “Is-It-An-Assault-Weapon?” flow chart.
What about far-sightedness?
Try not to need to shoot someone while working on your computer.
In my late 40s, I had Lasik performed. I was terribly nearsighted, as you appear to be. After surgery, I was very slightly nearsighted and that was improved by keeping my eyes moist with drops. Using that system, I actually had the eyeglass restriction removed from my drivers license.
Move forward some years, and presbyopia sets in. Now, I can see from very close to about where my front sight is without correction. To see what I’m shooting with sharp focus requires correction. But if it’s not 50 yards away, I see it well enough. So my current setup for handguns is no correction.
But lets not get into iron sights on rifles.
I just ordered a Laser Sight for my gun that should do it…….If i have to protect myself i don’t want to have to fumble around looking for my shooting glasses that i just happen to have on me…..lol
Get a longer rifle and you’ll have an easier time seeing the front site and the target. A Mosin-Nagant for instance.
Another solution is to make your “tinted” glasses into contact lenses by having a less powerful lense on the dominant eye and the distant vision lense on the other. I believe this strategy is referred to as “monovision.” I have been doing this for several years. This allows me to drive, (distance), and read (close up) all without glasses. Your brain somehow figures this all out.
Comments are closed.